Session 10
Matthew 22:15-22,34-40
Memory Verse: Matthew 22:37-38
In the second of the five controversies
on the Tuesday of Passion Week (Matt. 22:15-22),
the Pharisees and Herodians sent their followers to trap Jesus
with a question about paying taxes to Rome.
Jesus’s response avoided the dilemma
and provided a foundational approach to “church and state”
that resonates with believers today.
While its citizens are responsible to honor
the government demands,
God has the greatest claim on their lives.
The fourth controversy on that Tuesday involved an expert in the law
who sought to trap Jesus with a question about
the greatest command (22:34-40).
Instead of the Ten Commandments, Jesus cited the Shema (Deut. 6:4-5),
the creedal statement of Judaism.
Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love the Lord with one’s whole being.
For good measure, Jesus added loving one’s neighbor
as a complement to the vertical and the horizontal aspects
of biblical faith.
For years in schools across America, the day began with
the Pledge of Allegiance.
As children, we were taught to honor and respect
the American flag and the nation that it represented.
That is one of many allegiances in life.
We give honor and loyalty to any number of causes and people.
The critical issue is how we select what we give honor to.
Allegiance to wrong things leads to potential disaster.
Allegiance to honorable things can result in more joy
and fulfillment in life.
Choose wisely. (PSG, p. 89)
Jesus entered Jerusalem and essentially stayed there until His crucifixion.
Today’s passage in Matthew 22 took place on
the Tuesday after His “triumphal entry”
and examines the balance between our allegiance to
God and human authorities, including the government.
Share the following content from Understand the Context to provide more background for the session:
The conflict between Jesus and the Jewish religious leaders
had been brewing for months.
With the cleansing of the temple (Matt. 21:12-13),
it had reached a boiling point.
What followed would be several more days of confrontation
with the chief priests and elders.
The thrust of the confrontation centered around Jesus’s authority
and the rejection of His authority by the religious elite. (PSG, p. 90)
The Jewish leaders already had tried to trap Jesus and failed.
In today’s passage, we’ll see how Jesus taught the Jews-and us-
to honor both God and human leaders properly.